


an acre before us

by cosmic strings (electrick)



Category: Gilmore Girls
Genre: Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2019-02-22 22:44:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13176750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/electrick/pseuds/cosmic%20strings
Summary: "Hi Rory,” he says her voice and it settles in her gut. Hearing him was one thing, but hearing him say her name was like a trip to another dimension. She’s back in Stars Hollow and he’s there with her. They’re sitting on the bridge as they talk Hemingway and Ayn Rand and time has ceased to exist, or was it ever truly real?canon divergence in 6x08





	an acre before us

She puts down the book, front facing the satin duvet cover. Her fingers trace the white words on black. She realizes it’s a quote and she doesn’t recognize the author, which is a first for her. 

 

She holds the book in her hand, letting the pages flip between her thumb. It’s a short novel, he had said earlier. Jess has truly outdone himself. She thinks back to the time where he showed up to her dorm at Yale. She was so scared, so terrified of herself, at what she might have done. He was there, in front of her, waiting on her, wanting her in real time. She closes her eyes and pulls the book to her chest. 

 

It’s Jess. 

 

Of course it’s Jess. 

 

“Come on,” she whispers to herself. She picks up the phone next to her and dials the number. Her heart beats in tandem with the dial, once, twice and there’s a third time, and her heart stops. He picks up and suddenly his voice is there, he’s there on the line. It’s her and him, and no one else in the world. Phones are truly magical, she thinks.

 

“Hello?” his voice is gruff. 

 

“Hi, it’s me.” Her voice sounds squeakier than usual, a little pitchier and unnerving. 

 

“Hi Rory,” he says her voice and it settles in her gut. Hearing him was one thing, but hearing him say her name was like a trip to another dimension. She’s back in Stars Hollow and he’s there with her. They’re sitting on the bridge as they talk Hemingway and Ayn Rand and time has ceased to exist, or was it ever truly real? 

 

“I wanted to call you. I read your book,” she speaks with more fervor. There’s silence and the tinny sound of the phone connection and he’s breathing. He inhales and she’s lost all her thought.

 

“And? You hate it right? I know, it’s not even on par with Kerouac or anything,” he sounds disappointed but he’s speaking so fast, words are spilling and she’s having trouble catching up.

 

“No, no, no absolutely not Jess. It’s,” she pauses.

 

“It’s brilliant.”

 

It’s as if the room has turned into the sun, she feels so light and warm in her heart and it feels entirely right, more than anything has in a long time. She’s back in Chilton and her biggest concern was Paris fighting her on the latest article. 

 

“Thank you. It means a lot,” he finally speaks. She’s quiet, restless, wanting the perfect words to say but it doesn’t come. 

 

“How are you?” he asks.

 

“I’m not doing great,” she finally says. She’s been restless for so long, party planning, going to luncheons, she can’t remember the last time she opened a book. 

 

“Listen I didn’t mean to flip that night, I was just caught off guard,” he’s justifying his actions, she realizes and she has to stop him.

 

“No, Jess. You were right.”

 

“You were right about it all. I’ve been in a rut and this just doesn’t feel like me. I had this internship and I thought everything was on track but it turned out I wasn’t on track and everything happened so fast, I needed to stop,” she’s mumbling and muttering but he’s keeping up because that’s what Jess does.

 

“You got an internship? That’s amazing!” he exclaims and his voice jumps along with her heart. 

 

“Yeah but I guess I didn’t have it,” she relays Mitchum’s words. 

 

“What ‘it’? What does that even mean? If there’s anyone who has the unquestionable ‘it’, it’s you,” he scoffs in typical Jess fashion. She’s uncomfortable because it’s Jess and what reason does he have to lie and more importantly, does Mitchum Huntzberger really know her better than Jess knows her? 

 

“Thanks. According to what I’m holding, you’ve got it too,” she says pointedly and Jess is silent which is a first. 

 

“I’m really glad you liked it,” he says.

 

“I can sit here and talk on and on about how much I loved it, Jess. I’m so proud of you.” 

 

“Well thanks,” he responds and he’s nervous, she knows it - she’s nervous and he knows it.

 

“Jess, thank you. For everything,” she says. 

 

“Keep in touch,” he finally responds. She hangs up the phone and it’s impossible to go to sleepwith everything she’s feeling. But in a twisted way, a weight is off her chest and she feels lighter than before, lighter than she’s felt in a while. 

 

She wakes up the next morning and there’s a voicemail on her cell. 

 

“Listen Rory, if there’s anyone on the planetwho deserves everything, it’s you. You can’t just give up. What does that say about the rest of us?”

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> btw rory gilmore does not deserve jess mariano.


End file.
